Jurnal Ilmu Sosial Indonesia (JISI)
JISI: Vol. 7, No. 1 (2026)

From Café to Content: Hanging Out as a Symbolic Practice of Digital Identity Construction among Urban Youth

Hemarida Nabilah Putri Rida (UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta)
Kanaya Aulia Ahmad Kanaya (Hamilton Lugar School, Indiana University Bloomington, United States)



Article Info

Publish Date
01 Jul 2026

Abstract

This study aims to examine how urban youth construct the meaning of hanging out as part of contemporary lifestyles. Using a qualitative approach and a case study strategy, the research was conducted at a café in South Tangerang, involving six purposively selected informants. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, observation, and documentation, and analyzed using a symbolic interactionist perspective. The findings reveal that hanging out is not merely a recreational activity, but a multidimensional social practice encompassing social interaction, emotional regulation, symbolic consumption, and digital identity production. Hanging out serves as a space where adolescents build relationships, express themselves, and negotiate their identities, both through face-to-face interaction and social media engagement. These findings highlight that seemingly mundane everyday practices embody complex social meanings in the lives of urban youth. This study contributes to the sociology of youth and lifestyle studies by providing a deeper understanding of the relationship between social space, interaction, and meaning making in the digital era.  

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Journal Info

Abbrev

jisi

Publisher

Subject

Religion Humanities Environmental Science Physics Social Sciences

Description

Jurnal Ilmu Sosial Indonesia (JISI) is a peer-reviewed, open-access journal published by the Faculty of Faculty of Social Science and Political Science, Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University (UIN) of Jakarta. It aims to publish research findings that relates to the social, political, and ...